https://ghananewsagency.org/

S. African runner Semenya's testosterone judgment set for appeal

JOHANNESBURG,
May 14, (Xinhua/GNA) - Athletics South Africa (ASA) is set to appeal the Court
of Arbitration for Sports’ (CAS) judgment which forces female athletes with
high testosterone to take hormonal suppressants before participating in
international competitions.

Sports
department made the announcement on Monday, saying the appeal was "about
principle and human rights of the athlete."

Speaking to
Xinhua, Ministry of Sports’ spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga said the appeal was as a
result of consultations between ASA and a high level panel.

He said when
the court ruled on Caster Semenya, it failed to consider the "scientific
evidence we brought forward."

"The
appeal would be on the basis of three accounts, first the two judges that
administered the Caster's judgment were the same judges that sat on the Dutee
Chand's case. Secondly, it's not clear how the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF) will apply the May judgment," he said.

Indian athlete
Chand took the IAAF to the CAS in 2015 concerning the similar issue.

The appeal
comes after the CAS ruled that IAAF must go ahead and implement its new
regulations that compel athletes with "differences of sex
development" to lower or reduce their natural high levels of testosterone.

Affected South
Africa's Olympic gold medalist Semenya took the IAAF to court describing the
regulations as "invalid, discriminatory and unnecessary."

Some Kenyan
female athletes have also been affected by the regulations.

The IAAF said
that female athletes with natural high levels of testosterone have an unfair
advantage over other female runners.

The regulations
which came into effect this month, are only applied to 400m, hurdle races, 800m
which Semenya dominates.

Mhaga said the
regulations must be suspended until Semenya's appeal is finalized.